David Fleming: Valley should be kept as one in redistricting process

ONCE every 10 years, following the U.S. census, federal law requires the redrawing of political jurisdictions throughout the nation, including those of the Board of Supervisors of the county of Los Angeles. There are currently three proposed plans before the board.

One, submitted by Supervisor Gloria Molina, splits the San Fernando Valley by placing the northeast portion of the Valley into an elongated district stretching more than 20 miles southwest encompassing Hollywood, downtown L.A., and continuing all the way to the distant cities of Vernon, Lomita and Cerritos. Another plan, submitted by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas also divides the Valley into somewhat similar configurations. Both plans would move nearly 3.5 million citizens into new supervisorial districts.

A third plan, submitted by Supervisors Don Knabe, Zev Yaroslavsky and Mike Antonovich keeps the Valley intact, as it is today.

To be adopted, the final plan must be approved by four of the five supervisors. Failing that, the plan would be decided upon by a majority vote of the county sheriff, district attorney and county assessor.

The primary purpose of redistricting is to equal the population in each voting district. A secondary but important consideration is to try to keep recognized communities intact and undivided.

Years ago, the Valley made an effort to create a new city. The proposal was passed by a majority of the residents of the Valley but was rejected by voters living outside the Valley. It is important to note that the Valley did not propose to create two or three cities - but one.

One would have thought that thereafter the Valley would be recognized throughout the county as one, cohesive, unified, indivisible community. It is, in effect, an urban island surrounded, not by water, but by mountains. It is, geographically, separate and apart from the rest of Los Angeles and has historically considered itself a united community of neighborhoods.

Demographers report that the Valley is the most racially and ethnically diverse urban area in America. Some 90 languages are spoken in the Valley daily. Its residents come from all four corners of the earth. They live, work, play and interface with each other every day.

The Valley has no ghettos nor racial, religious or ethnic strife. Whether one lives in the north, south, east or west areas of the Valley, its residents have a long history of supporting and helping one another as one community.

The avowed purpose of the Molina plan is to create a second supervisorial district primarily composed of Hispanics. The Voting Right Act does not require the creation of districts in which a single minority group composes 50 percent of the voting age citizenry. History has proven such a district is not needed to elect minority candidates.

The Valley, without Hispanic majorities, twice elected Antonio Villaraigosa as mayor, Lee Baca as sheriff and John Noguez as assessor - all Hispanics. And without anywhere near an African-American majority, the Valley four times elected Tom Bradley as mayor.

It's not skin color or ethnicity of the voter that determines who gets elected. Rather it is the abilities, character, acumen and ideas of the candidate that determines electability.

We therefore ask the Board of Supervisors to keep the Valley together as one ethnically diverse united community when the new districts are finalized.